Summit kicks off in Moscow regarding Afghan peace process

A summit kicked off in Moscow earlier today with the participants expected to hold talks regarding the prospects of Afghan peace process.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov inaugurated the summit with his speech and said he expects the participants would hold serious and constructive talks regarding Afghan reconciliation.

The Afghan High Peace Council deputies and members of the council as well as the head of the political office of the Taliban in Qatar Mullah Abbas Stanikzai and Taliban’s political representatives have participated in the summit.

Representatives of the key regional countries and a representative of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow have also participated in the summit.

The State Department spokesperson Robert Palladino on Wednesday said the United States embassy in Moscow will send a representative to the working level to observe the discussions.

Palladino further added that the representative would be sent in coordination with the Afghan government, emphasizing that “the United States believes that all countries should support direct dialogue between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban to reach an end to the war. And we’ve been clear that no government, including Russia, can be a substitute for the Afghan Government in direct negotiations with the Taliban.”